The Last Good Summer Day
by redick4
Summary: Ron and Hermione finally start to figure things out. Takes place in between book 6 and 7. Harry and Ginny add their two cents as well.
1. Chapter 1

JK is the owner of all these folks, obviously.

Chapter 1:

Hermione looked out the window. Sunshine was highlighting the dew covered lawn. She could hear birds in the distance. Grabbing her shoes, she tip toed across the room. Ginny was still asleep in her bed. Once in the hall, Hermione slipped on her sneakers and made her way downstairs. No one seemed to be up just yet. She secured her robe to ward off the chill and stepped out the back door.

The chairs for the ceremony were leaning against the house. Hermione imagined what the yard would look like tomorrow. Rows and rows of seats would be on either side of a long carpet of pink rose petals. The carpet would lead to a vine covered arch. A judge from the Ministry of Magic, a longtime friend of Mr. Weasley's, would be standing under the arch waiting to begin the ceremony. Fleur's bridesmaids, all 8 of them, would be off to one side in their pastel dresses. Hermione thought the number of girls was a bit excessive, but even she would not argue against getting what you want on one of the most important days of your life.

Bill would be on the other side watching for Fleur and her father to appear. Charlie would stand next to him as the best man. The rest of the Weasley clan would be groomsmen. Except Percy. His name hadn't been mentioned in ages. Hermione wasn't even certain he'd been invited to the wedding. It was all a bit sad really.

In her mind, she looked over each Weasley brother. Charlie would be sporting his earring, much to Mrs. Weasley's dismay. The twins would probably be unable to stand still for the whole ceremony. Hermione would have to check their pockets right before everything started, just in case. Then there was Ron. Ron, who would be looking at his feet, or a tree, or anywhere else but at his brother and his soon to be bride. He'd shift about nervously, tugging at the collar of his shirt, loosening the tie his mother made him wear. Hermione smiled to herself. At least he doesn't have to wear those horrid dress robes. Her thoughts shifted. She remembered how she had hoped it would be Ron asking her to the Yule Ball. But, it didn't work out that way.

Hermione heard footsteps behind her. Turning her head, she saw Mrs. Weasley coming outside.

"Good morning Hermione, what has you up so early?" Mrs. Weasley walked over to check the condition of the chairs.

"Nothing really. I woke up and saw how nice it was out here so I came downstairs. How are the chairs?"

"It seems the gnomes haven't touched them."

"I thought Harry and Ron tossed all the gnomes out yesterday."

"They did, but Arthur forgot to do a protection spell to keep them out for the next few days. I was worried some may have tried to sneak back in."

"Have Fleur's family all arrived?" Hermione walked with Mrs. Weasley back into the house.

"I believe so. They are staying nearby. Our house is far too packed to bring in her family plus all those bridesmaids." Mrs. Weasley reached out and touched Hermione's arm. "Promise me dear, when you get married keep it small and simple."

Hermione blushed. "I don't think I'm getting married anytime soon."

Mrs. Weasley smiled at her, "But you will...someday."

Hermione blushed even harder. "I think I'm going to check to see if Ginny is awake."

Hermione dashed up the stairs. Turning a corner quickly, she ran into something solid. Bouncing back, she stumbled from the impact. Her eyes lifted as two hands grabbed her waist to help steady her.

"Sorry about that, didn't see you coming." Charlie looked down at her. He was smiling.

Hermione noticed he was already dressed. Self conscious, she tucked her hair behind her ears in an effort to control it.

"You were moving fast. Everything okay?" he asked.

"Yes, fine. Your mom was just talking to me..."

He cut her off. "That would do it."

Hermione laughed. "Your mother is a great woman. You'd do well to remember that."

He shrugged. "You're probably right. Just like Ron says."

"Ron says I'm right?" Hermione felt the heat returning to her cheeks.

"He's mentioned it a few times." Charlie's attention shifted as the door to his right opened.

Ron staggered out of the room still half asleep. His red hair was sticking out in several directions. He rubbed his eyes and yawned. Not aware of who was in the hall, he slid his hand under his shirt and scratched his stomach. For a few seconds, Hermione could see his pale, freckled skin as the shirt came up. Ron finished itching and finally opened his eyes. He, Hermione, and Charlie all looked at each other. Ron's eyes fell on his brother's hands resting on Hermione's waist.

"What's this then?" He scowled at his brother, not even attempting to look at Hermione's face.

"Just bumped into the lovely Miss Granger, that's all." Charlie almost laughed as he realized Ron was glaring at him. He decided to egg his brother on a bit more. He secured his grip on Hermione and lifted her off her feet. He turned while holding her up to change their positions in the hall. Hermione let out a surprised laugh as he released her.

"I'll see you later Hermione." Charlie shot a wicked smile at Ron. "Later little brother..."

Ron watched Charlie go down the steps. He looked to Hermione and frowned.

"What are you smiling at?"

"Your brother is such a flirt."

"He wasn't flirting with you."

"Yes, he was." Hermione's hands went to her hips.

"No, he wasn't. He was trying to annoy me."

"And why would your brother flirting with me annoy you?"

It was a simple enough question and Hermione had asked it quietly. Still, Ron couldn't give her an answer. He stumbled over some words and eventually let out what sounded like a frustrated growl.

"Great answer, Ronald." Hermione spun on her heel and went into her room.

Ron stayed in the hallway, grumbling and trying to ignore the voice in his head telling him what the answer should have been.

It's been a very long time since I've put anything up here, so please be kind. I haven't finished writing the story, but I am done with 3 or 4 chapters. I hope to use this post an incentive to complete it.


	2. Chapter 2

Chapter 2:

Harry looked back and forth between his two best friends. They had barely spoken to each other during breakfast. Mrs. Weasley was busy going through the day's agenda as everyone finished eating. She delegated tasks to each of them. Harry thought he and Ron had gotten off easy. All they had to do was clean up the yard today and set up the chairs first thing tomorrow morning. Charlie would be going to pick up the flowers for Hermione and Ginny to use for decoration.

Harry noticed Ron's face slip into a scowl when Charlie suggested Hermione could go along for the ride. He looked at Hermione. Unlike Ron, she didn't seem to have any reaction good or bad to the idea.

Ginny stood and suggested Harry help her clean off the table while everyone scattered to begin their various chores. She caught Harry's eye and gave him a quick look. Suddenly feeling awkward, Harry nearly tripped as he brought a pile of plates into the kitchen. He joined Ginny at the sink being careful not to drop anything.

"Here you go..." he eased the plates into the soapy water Ginny had conjured up.

"So, are you going to avoid me the whole time you're here?" Her tone was light, but her face was serious.

"I'm not avoiding you."

"I beg to differ."

"Ginny, I told you before...us...together...it's too dangerous."

"That's a load of crap and you know it." Ginny dried her hands roughly, tossing the towel onto the counter. She grabbed his arm and turned his body to face her. "It seems you've forgotten I'm your best friend's sister."

"Trust me. I haven't forgotten."

"What I mean is, Voldemort and his followers have to know how important you are to this family and vice versa. That connection alone makes all of us targets. Not to mention I have, on more than one occasion, fought alongside you."

"Ginny, what you don't understand is it matters to me if you're my girlfriend. If you are more than just my best friend's sister, Voldemort could use that against me."

"So not being your girlfriend makes me expendable?" Ginny's voice dropped off sharply.

"No, no, that's not what I'm saying..."

"Sure sounds like it to me." She backed away from him and began to leave the room. "You must not have much faith in me if you don't want me to stand up with you."

"Ginny...wait..." Harry started to follow, but a harsh glare from her stopped him in his tracks. He stood still for a few moments thinking over what she'd said and wondering if she didn't have a point.

Hermione waited for Charlie outside. She wondered how her friend was doing. Ginny had already talked to her about planning to have a chat with Harry. To be honest, Hermione had no idea how Harry would react.

Charlie finally appeared on his motorcycle. Mrs. Weasley had almost fainted when she'd seen it the first time. Smiling, he handed her a helmet. Hermione put it on and gingerly got up on the bike.

Charlie turned his head to speak to her. "You better hang on."

Hermione nodded and slid her arms around him. She'd never really thought about Charlie much, but she had to admit this was all a bit exciting. It was comforting to wrap herself around someone strong and warm. She leaned her head on his back, her face turned towards the front of the house. Just as Charlie pulled away, Hermione saw Ron step outside. She lifted her head to the sight of Ron storming back in hastily, the door slamming behind him.

"It's been two bloody hours, where are they?" Ron paced the backyard anxiously.

"Who's 'they' exactly?" Harry used his wand to trim some nearby bushes.

"Charlie and Hermione. It shouldn't take this long to pick up some stupid flowers. I don't know why Mom just didn't have them delivered. Then she wouldn't be out there on the back of that stupid bike." Ron flicked his wand and accidentally split a bush in half.

Harry quickly repaired the shrub. "Be careful will you."

Ron went paler than usual. "What if something bad has happened? What if they've been hit by some Muggle or worse?"

Harry could see genuine worry on his friend's face. "I'm sure they're fine. They know how to take care of themselves. Charlie's probably just showing off."

Ron relaxed a little. Charlie showing off made sense. Still, he was none too happy to have Hermione involved.

The yard was just getting finished when Ron heard the bike's engine. He ran around the side of the house to see Charlie and Hermione pull in to the drive. Hermione got off the bike. Removing her helmet, she quickly pulled her hair into a pony tail before anyone could see how frizzy it had become. Ron spotted the grin on her face from where he stood. He hadn't seen her look really happy in a long time. Charlie said something to her that Ron couldn't make out. She laughed and playfully slapped Charlie on the arm. He took the two saddle bags filled with flowers into the house.

Hermione followed behind, her steps slowing as she got closer to Ron. He had patches of dirt on his skin from the lawn work. His shirt clung to his body, probably thanks to sweat. Thanks sweat, Hermione thought. He walked over to her. She looked at him hesitantly, but continued to smile. He's going to apologize for this morning, she thought.

"So, you and your new boyfriend have a good trip?" Ron asked sharply.

Maybe not.

"Ron, I don't know where you get these ideas. Maybe if you were this creative in school your scores would be higher." She moved past him, but he fell into step beside her.

"Did it not occur to you that just running off like that would worry some people?"

"Some people, Ronald? Which people exactly?"

Ron ignored the question.

"Seems you still favor older guys...must be hard to break the habit that started with Krum I suppose." His pace slowed as he came to a stop. "Maybe you should go after Bill; you'll be running out of time soon."

Ron didn't see the slap coming. Hermione had moved quickly ahead of him and clipped the side of his face. His hand went up to his burning cheek. He shook his head to move the hair from his eyes and just caught the expression on Hermione's face. The smile was gone and had been replaced by a look of pure disappointment and hurt. Her lip started to quiver. Before the tears filling her eyes could fall, she straightened herself and went inside.

Ah, chapter 2 is done. I realized I didn't correctly mark off where chapter 1 ended and my hi-how's-it-going bit started last time, but I was tired and didn't go back in to fix that one thing. Perhaps I'll do that later.

Thank you to everyone who reviewed. I was really surprised to see that many people had read the chapter since my first story had sort of slipped in with less notice. I hope you will all continue to read this one and that you won't be disappointed.


	3. Chapter 3

Chapter 3:

Hermione spent the rest of the afternoon with Ginny. Neither was in a very good mood thanks to the boys in the house. The worked quietly, completely focused on making the bouquets for the bridesmaids. Ginny wrapped the last bit of ribbon around her bouquet. Setting it aside, she cleaned up her mess.

"Do you think Harry's right?" Even though she spoke softly, the sound of her voice startled both girls.

Hermione looked up at her. "Right about what?"

"Breaking up with me because of Voldemort or whatever..."

"Oh, that." Hermione paused. "I understand why he's concerned. But he's an idiot if he thinks you're just going to let him go without a fight." She frowned at her handful of flowers. "Besides, Voldemort could just as easily go after me, or Ron, anyone in your family actually."

"I tried explaining that to him, but he doesn't seem to listen."

"He's scared. He feels responsible for all of us."

"But he isn't responsible. He isn't making us do anything we don't want to do." Ginny extended her hand, offering to finish Hermione's bouquet.

"Maybe so, but you can't forget how hard all of this is for him." She handed the flowers over to her friend. "He could die. We all could die."

"Even more reason to stick together if you ask me." Ginny removed a couple of buds from the arrangement before securing it with ribbon.

Hermione picked up one of the flowers and began removing the petals one at a time.

"I slapped your brother today." She said, her voice sounding tired.

"Pardon?"

XXXXXX

"She hit you?" Harry sat up abruptly. He and Ron were relaxing in the yard. Harry had spread himself out on the lawn while Ron sat nearby. "What did you do?"

"Why do you assume I did something?"

Harry didn't even offer an explanation. His look said it all.

"Okay, I said something to her she didn't like."

"Obviously. What did you say?"

Ron stood, his arms crossed. "You saw her and Charlie...together. It's just...it's annoying. I said something about going after older guys...then I may have brought up Krum's name..."

"You didn't."

"Then I may have mentioned she didn't have much time left to go after Bill." Ron's arms relaxed and he looked at Harry sheepishly.

"I may have to slap you now." Harry shook his head in amazement. How could his friend be so daft when it came to Hermione?

"It just sort of slipped out. You know how I can get."

"It's amazing more girls haven't hit you."

"What am I supposed to do now?"

"Go talk to Hermione for a start."

"And say what exactly?"

"Sorry would be a good."

XXXXXX

Ginny listened as Hermione recounted what Ron had said to her.

"Daft git." Ginny shook her head as Hermione finished the story.

"Why would he say such a thing?"

"He likes you, always has. Plus, he's an idiot." Ginny leaned forward. "You are going to have to do something. It's obvious he has no idea what to do."

"I hate to say it, but I have no idea either."

XXXXXX

Hermione avoided everyone for the rest of the afternoon. She gave Mrs. Weasley the "headache" excuse. She hid out in Ginny's room trying to figure out a plan. She could try and talk to Ron. She could write him a note and get Ginny to give it to him. She could just walk right up to him and kiss him. Hermione let out a harsh laugh. If she were brave enough to do the last option, she would have done it long ago. Hermione realized she was scared. She knew how she felt about Ron. But, she wasn't convinced that Ron had the same feelings for her, even with Ginny's assurances. For all her efforts to figure out the situation rationally, Hermione was still having to take a leap of faith and she was frightened.

XXXXXX

Ron paced in his bedroom. Harry had offered some suggestions as to what he could say to Hermione, but nothing sounded quite right. Ron didn't dare go to Fred and George. They'd take the mickey out of him from the start. Charlie would probably tease him as well. Bill was far too busy to help him out.

He sat on his bed, tired of walking without purpose. He stared down at his feet. There was a piece of parchment peeking out from under his bed. He wasn't really surprised since his definition of cleaning his room usually involved shoving things out of eyesight. He reached down and pulled the paper up to where he could read it.

It was a letter from Hermione. She'd always written both Ron and Harry during summer breaks. He'd never written back, but somehow his lack of effort never stopped her sending him more letters. He crouched in front of the bed and pulled out more parchments from underneath. For almost half an hour, he stretched and searched till he found 10 letters from Hermione. He read them over. Each letter had something in it that gave a reason for its surviving the trash. It may have been a particularly amusing story about the Muggles Hermione knew. Or, a rundown of what classes she might be willing to help tutor him in that term. Or, it may have just been written in that very particular Hermione way and it reminded him of her. Ron hadn't even noticed he'd kept the odd letter here and there.

Ron had to laugh. As usual, he was the last to realize what everyone else probably already knew. He liked Hermione and he liked her a lot. He liked her beyond being one of her closest friends. He liked her beyond the bond they shared with Harry. He liked her so much he couldn't think straight around her, yet he couldn't imagine not being where she was. It dawned on Ron what he should do. It might not be enough, but it would be a start.

XXXXXX

Hermione heard someone walking down the hall. The footsteps weren't light enough to be Ginny. The steps paused in front of the door. Hermione waited for someone to knock or call out to her, but everything stayed quiet. A piece of parchment made its way under the door. The footsteps moved away and down the stairs once the note had gone through completely. Hermione rose from the bed and picked up the paper.

There was nothing on the front or back. It was just folded in half. She opened it up. She knew the handwriting the second she saw it. The note was made up of just one sentence. "I'm really sorry." Hermione sat back down on the bed. She continued to stare at the note. Her body shook just a bit as she began to cry. Ron had finally written her back.

XXXXXX

I have realized I am really bad with OpenOffice writer. I have yet to figure out how to do better spacing in between "act breaks" as it were. I'm sorry if my techno-idiocy is making any of this confusing. I'm trying something different to fool the program, but won't know if it worked till I've posted. Thanks to those of you who have been reading. I've gotten fewer reviews, but I'm hoping that just means I'm chugging along just fine and the folks who were there for Chapter 1 are still around.


	4. Chapter 4

Chapter 4:

Hermione responded to Mrs. Weasley's call to supper with trepidation. Ron had taken the first step, but what the hell was she going to do. She needn't have worried as Ginny grabbed her straight away and took her to the opposite end of the table. Ginny didn't feel like talking to Harry so she'd placed herself as far away from him (and thus Ron) as possible. Hermione tried to pay attention to her friend, but was far too distracted.

She chanced a look Ron's way and was rewarded with the sight of him blushing as she smiled at him. Okay, she thought, that's a good sign. The supper continued in the usual Weasley fashion, plenty of talking and food. The rumble began to quiet as dessert was served. Mr. Weasley stood up and cleared his throat.

"May I have everyone's attention please?" his eyes roamed the table as faces turned towards him. "Thank you. I just wanted to say how happy I am..."

Mrs. Weasley made a sound next to him.

"How happy we are, sorry dear, to be able to celebrate Bill's marriage surrounded by the people we love. The last few years have been difficult to be sure. But, it is through this struggle I have discovered how brave and wonderful you all are."

Mrs. Weasley squeaked as she lifted a handkerchief to her eyes.

"We are proud to call each of you our children, whether it be blood or friendship that brought you to us." Mr. Weasley's voice began to crack as he lifted his glass. "To family..."

The entire table chimed in, "To family..."

Silence fell as everyone took a drink. Mr. Weasely sat down, his wife leaning in to kiss his cheek. The quiet lingered till Harry finally spoke up.

"Since you consider me a son, does that mean I can borrow the next flying car you get?" he asked.

Mr. Weasley looked to him and smiled. "No."

XXXXXXX

Ron agreed to play Wizard's Chess with Harry only because Ginny had once again stolen Hermione away into a corner. He kept losing thanks to his lack of focus. It took Harry saying his name several times to wake him from his stupor.

"What did you say?"

"I asked you if you'd talked to Hermione yet?" Harry leaned forward in his seat for the answer.

"Not exactly. I wrote her a note."

"Really? Okay then, what did you say in the note?"

"I'm sorry."

"That's it."

"No." Ron grunted. "I said I was really sorry."

"Well, that's much better."

Ron growled, "How's it going with Ginny by the way?"

Harry frowned. "Point taken."

XXXXXXX

"He wrote you a note?" Ginny absently pet the cat, her eyes on Hermione.

"Yeah, said he was really sorry."

"He actually used the word 'really'?"

"Yep." Hermione smiled.

"Good for him. This is progress. Now what?"

"I haven't been able to talk to him to figure that out."

"Why?"

Hermione raised her eyebrows at Ginny, who began to go red.

"Damn. Sorry." Ginny paused to think. "Go out in the yard."

Hermione chuckled, "Why would I go out in the yard now? It's getting late."

"Because I'm going to send Ron out there after you..."

"Uh...okay." Hermione stood and made her way to the back door. She turned for one more look at Ginny. Her friend nodded, rising to go towards her brother.

Ginny stood next to the table, hands on her hips.

"Ron, go outside. I need to talk to Harry."

"Why do I have to go outside? Can't you two just argue in front of me?" Ron moved one of his pieces. "Checkmate...mate." He smiled at his little joke.

"No. This is an important, private conversation. It's so important I left an equally important conversation with Hermione to come over here." She stared at Ron. "You should really go outside."

Ron gazed past her and noticed Hermione was no longer sitting in the corner. Oh, outside is where he was supposed to be. Well, that didn't take too long to figure out.

"Okay. Have fun...or something..." He shrugged at Harry apologetically before walking away.

Ginny took his place and reset the chess board. "You don't have to talk to me if you don't want to."

"No, I think we should talk. I need to explain what I meant before in the kitchen."

Ginny lifted her eyes to his. "Go ahead."

XXXXXXXX

Ron stepped out into the cool night air. They had been lucky to get good weather. The clear skies meant plenty of stars were visible. Once his eyes adjusted, he could see Hermione standing near the arch. Ron's hands got shoved in his pockets as he came closer, his shoulders hunching up making him look every bit as nervous as he felt.

Hermione jumped skittishly hearing footsteps behind her. She knew he was coming, or rather, she'd hoped he would come. Still, it had felt like forever since she'd left the house so she was still surprised.

"Nice night." Ron said. Daft git, he thought, can't you think of anything better to say.

"It's amazing how many stars you can see out here." Hermione's voice was oddly loud, as though she were forcing herself to speak sensibly. They fell silent. Hermione gave Ron a questioning glance after a few seconds.

"Ginny said she wanted to talk to Harry...told me to go outside."

"Oh. She mentioned they had a row in the kitchen this morning." Hermione needed to do something with her nervous energy. She moved to a place under the arch. Her fingers absently began to poke and prod the vines.

"Do you think they'll get back together?" Ron joined her, choosing to gently lean against the opposite side of the arch.

"If Ginny has any say, they will."

"Do you think they should?" He asked quietly.

The question surprised Hermione. She turned towards him to answer. "Sure. You don't? This isn't a she's-my-sister-you're-my-friend sort of thing is it?"

"No. That's not a problem. It's a little weird, but not a problem." Ron's eyes shifted from Hermione's to gaze anywhere else. "I just mean, maybe they should stay apart because of the whole...you know who being back thing." His eyes fell back onto hers anxiously.

"Not you too..." she sounded disappointed.

Ron stood up straighter, his hands out of his pockets and at his sides. "You think it's okay then that they're, you know, together...even with all this bad stuff happening."

Hermione nodded. "Even with all this bad stuff happening." She offered up a small smile to him.

Ron tentatively took a step closer to her. "Me too."

XXXXXX

Harry anxiously licked his lips. He really wanted to make sure Ginny wouldn't misunderstand him.

"I'm scared." he said simply.

"Of me?"

"No...well, wait, maybe a little..." he smiled at her before continuing. "I'm scared of what could happen to you." His face went back to being serious. "I don't want anything bad to happen to you."

Ginny reached out over the board and took his hand. "I know you don't. I know you would do anything to prevent my getting hurt."

Harry felt relieved; this was going much better than he'd expected.

"But, I also know things happen that neither of us has any control over." Ginny squeezed his hand as he sighed in frustration. "I will be a part of the fight. Somehow, someway, I will be there. I'd just rather be there with you."

"But being with me might not be..."

Ginny cut him off. "It might not be the safest place, but it will be the best place for me."

Harry studied her face. He was still a bit astounded that it had taken him so long to really see her. She had always been there for him, from the time of a little girl's crush to a friend to something more. He finally allowed himself a rueful smile. He should have known from experience she wouldn't give up that easy.

"It's the best place for me too." he said before leaning in to kiss her. The pleasure of the moment was short lived as pillows began to rain down upon him and Ginny. The twins were pelting them mercilessly, laughing loudly. Mrs. Weasley came into the living room to restore order. She scolded Fred and George while sending some pillows back at them. When everyone quieted down, she surveyed the room.

"Where are Ron and Hermione?"

XXXXXX

Hermione could feel her heart pounding away like mad. She took her own step forward. There couldn't be more than a couple of inches separating them now.

"Seems we agree, that doesn't happen often..." Her voice squeaked suddenly. Ron's fingers were gently brushing hers.

"It happens often enough I suppose...when it matters anyway." His expression held the remnants of nervousness as he leaned in closer to her.

Hermione's eyes widened. Holy crap, she thought, he's going to kiss me; he's finally going to kiss me. His forefinger wrapped around hers, tugging her nearer. She looked up at him as the slight space between them began to evaporate.

Ron felt the warmth of her slide over him as she lifted her free hand to his arm, supporting herself. His eyes moved frantically from her eyes to her mouth. He hadn't had a lot of experience with this sort of thing. He didn't want to make a mistake.

Hermione could sense Ron's breath moving over her lips. Just a little bit closer, she thought.

"There you are!" Mrs. Weasley called out from the back door.

Ron and Hermione both jumped, just avoiding a painful facial collision.

"Bloody hell..." Ron muttered as he quickly let go of Hermione's hand.

They had just enough time to back up before Mrs. Weasley joined them.

"I've been looking all over for you." She glanced between Hermione, who was blushing, and her son, who seemed to be unable to look her in the eye. "What have you two been doing?"

Ron and Hermione shared a panicked glance before Hermione spoke up.

"I was checking the archway and thought I saw a defect so I asked Ron to take a look at it."

"I didn't realize Ron was so handy..." Mrs. Weasley stifled a giggle watching them behave in such a disconcerted manner. "It's getting late. We all should be heading off to bed. Big day tomorrow." She shooed them inside with her.

Once in the house, Hermione was immediately joined by Ginny. She looked past her friend to see Ron and Harry start to go upstairs. I should say something, she thought.

"Night Harry...night Ron...see you in the morning." Definitely not a sonnet, but she was short on opportunity damn it.

"See you in the morning." Ron watched her as long as he could, a goofy smile falling onto his lips.

XXXXXXXX

Okay, hope I didn't get too mushy at the start of the chapter. I also realize that Ginny and Harry made up a bit quickly, but since the focus of the story is really Hermione and Ron I figured you lovely readers would forgive me. There is maybe one or two more chapters to go. I haven't decided how much of the wedding to write about yet. Thanks to everyone who has been reviewing.


	5. Chapter 5

Chapter 5: The End

Hermione woke up to the sound of Ginny calling her name. She lifted her head from the pillow, squinting at the sunlight filling the room.

"What time is it?" Hermione asked thickly.

"If you hurry, you might just have time to eat breakfast before the wedding starts..."

"Bloody hell!" Hermione shot up out of bed only to hear Ginny roaring with laughter. Hermione paused where she stood. "What time is it really?"

"It's around 8. You have plenty of time. You should still be able to get a hot shower."

Hermione grabbed her things, tossing a slight glare at Ginny as she passed. "I could turn your hair blue you know..."

XXXXXX

Ron and Harry were already outside setting up the chairs. They had been stacking them to see how high they could go till Mr. Weasley caught them. Now they were calmly using their wands to line the chairs up nicely.

Harry was still waiting for Ron to tell him more about the night before. When they had reached their room, Ron's face remained covered by the goofy smile. He mumbled something about things being okay with Hermione, but had left it at that. Harry had his fingers crossed. He could use a few more good moments in his life.

"I think we're done." Ron came over to where Harry stood.

Harry looked over their rows and with a few flicks of his wand, made some minor adjustments. "Your mom should be pleased..."

"Have you seen how weird she's acting?"

"What do you mean?"

"She's completely nutters. It's like she's drunk too much or something."

"She's just happy." Harry started walking back to the house.

"I know. She's really bloody happy. It's just weird. She won't stop smiling."

"Speaking of...you had an interesting look on your face when you came inside last night. What exactly happened out here?"

Harry stifled a laugh seeing Ron's cheeks flush with color.

"Nothing. I told you this last night."

"Just talked? Nothing else."

Ron hesitated. "That was it."

"If you say so..."

"Everything is fine." Ron held the door open for Harry. "I think."

XXXXXX

By the time Hermione had showered, ate breakfast, and gotten dressed, the house was full with more Weasley family members in addition to the wedding party. Hermione was thankful she hadn't been chosen as a bridesmaid. Ginny looked bored standing with the other girls, her bouquet bouncing against her hip. Hearing laughter from the stairwell, Hermione gazed up from where she stood.

Fred and George came down first. Hermione thought she could see lumps in the pockets of their suit jackets. Charlie was next. He flashed Hermione a quick smile before moving on to chat up a couple of Fleur's girlfriends. Bill followed, a dazed expression on his face. Mrs. Weasely was on him in seconds. Her voice was full of emotion as she told him how handsome he looked.

Harry and Ron were last down the stairs. Harry had ditched the tie, but he wore the rest of the suit well. Hermione's eyes shifted to see Ginny stand up a bit straighter as she caught sight of him. Ron paused on the landing, trying to knot his tie. Hermione watched his fingers fumble with each attempt. Wow, he looked really good, she thought. The horrible dress robes were long gone. Instead he wore a soft gray shirt under a dark suit. The tie was a dark, charcoal gray silk. Ginny had made sure to accompany her brothers when they went shopping to make sure everything was just right.

Taking a deep breath, Hermione maneuvered through the crowd to reach the stairs. She stepped on to the landing next to Ron.

"Hi." She said softly.

Ron jumped a little. He had been so focused on the tie her presence had gone unnoticed until now.

"Hey..." his voice cut out as he looked at her. She wore a simple, lilac dress with some sort of purple-y colored...what the hell was that...a belt? A sash? He had no clue. Didn't know what it was called and didn't really care that much. She'd left her hair down and he could see a thin silver necklace shining on her skin. Was she taller? He glanced at her feet. Of course, she had on the right sort of shoes. "...wow..." he said under his breath.

"What?" Hermione had just barely caught what sounded like a word.

"Nothing." Ron felt like his heart was going to bust out of him and go bouncing across the floor.

"Seems you're having some trouble?"

"Huh?" He looked confused until she pointed to his tie. "Oh, this thing. I can't seem to do it right." His hands fell to his sides.

"I think I can help." Hermione reached up and adjusted the ends of the tie. She spoke as she looped and pulled the tie into a knot. "My Dad taught me how to do this. Sometimes Mom would be too busy making breakfast so I would help him out."

Ron twitched each time Hermione's fingers brushed over his chest. She was close enough he could sense the slightest sway of her body. Hermione adjusted the tie so the knot rested comfortably under his Adam's apple.

"Is this okay?" she asked. She caught his eye. "It's not too tight is it?"

Ron turned his head a bit each way. She had left the top button of his shirt undone, the knot resting just below.

"Feels just right." Ron let himself exhale as her hand pressed against him one last time, smoothing the tie as it went. "Thanks."

"You're welcome." She smiled up at him.

Ron licked his lips. He dipped his head shyly before speaking.

"Hermione..."

"Yes?"

"I just wanted to tell you..."

"Tell me what?"

"You look..."

Ron's efforts to complete a sentence were halted thanks to his father calling out to him. It was time for the groomsmen to gather together. Last minute instructions or something. Ron wasn't really listening. He felt George tugging on his arm, pulling him from the landing. Ron turned to look back at Hermione. She could just make out his voice from the din of the gathering. Pretty was what he said.

XXXXXX

Ron knew he was supposed to be paying attention. Granted, he didn't have to do much of anything other than stand still. But, his mind was definitely elsewhere. He didn't really hear the vows being spoken. He didn't see Bill slip the ring on Fleur's finger or see her do the same to his brother. He didn't see them kiss. He only knew when to start walking down the aisle when his partner for the stroll elbowed him in the side. She was annoyed, but he didn't care.

For the whole of the ceremony, all he thought about was what had almost happened the night before. Luck never seemed to be on his side. He and Harry had already been talking about what they were going to do in the next few days. There would be a lot of travel and plenty of opportunities to find themselves in trouble. Ron couldn't help but feel like he was running out of time.

He found himself being led to the wedding party's table. He had asked his mother if he could sit with Harry and Hermione, but she said tradition dictated he at least eat dinner with the rest of the groomsmen and bridesmaids. Ron ate quickly and without really enjoying the food before him. He almost groaned aloud as Charlie and his father both made toasts to Bill and Fleur. This was taking for-bloody-ever.

The sun set just as the band began to play. He watched as Bill and Fleur seemed to float over the lawn. While everyone was focused on the happy couple, he made his way to another table. Harry and Ginny were sitting and chatting.

"How did you get over here so quick?" he asked his sister.

"I'm sneakier than you." She rose from her chair. "I'm going for cake. Anyone want some?" Harry and Ron both nodded at her.

"Where's Hermione?" Ron asked casually after his sister left.

"She went inside with Charlie." Harry answered.

"What!?"

Harry began laughing. "Kidding."

Ron gave Harry's shoulder a shove. "Don't do that..."

Harry's laughter began to subside. "Sorry. She's around here somewhere."

Ron's mouth slipped into a frown. "Tell Ginny to save me that piece of cake." He got up and began to work his way through the crowd. How hard could it be to find one girl? Ron circled the dance area with no luck. He wove through the tables to no avail.

Finally he spotted her. She was standing by herself at the back edge of the festivities.

"Hey." He approached her slowly, not sure if she wanted any company.

"Hey." She gave him a small smile.

"Everything okay?" He took his place next to her.

"Yeah. I was just feeling a little squished."

"Did you like the wedding?"

"It was nice. Doing the vows in French was sort of romantic." Hermione laughed seeing Ron's reaction. "You did realize they were speaking a foreign language, right?"

Ron shrugged, his cheeks going red. "Guess I wasn't paying attention."

"I noticed. You seemed a million miles away."

"I didn't do anything stupid did I?"

"Besides forcing one of Fleur's cousins to practically beat you into moving, no, you were fine."

Ron frowned, causing Hermione to reach out and rest her hand on his shoulder.

"You were fine." She said firmly. She squeezed his shoulder before letting her hand drift down his back softly.

They fell silent watching the crowd shift from one dance to another. The candles floating above them in the yard created a second set of stars. Hermione could feel Ron's arm brush against hers as they both instinctively swayed to the music. Every time his fingers swept past her hand she felt like floating herself. She turned her head and just looked at Ron for several moments.

She thought back to the first time they'd met. She never would have guessed then what her life was like now. How could she have imagined the intense feelings she would be having for another person? Her heart began to beat faster. Hermione knew things were going to start getting really difficult once they left with Harry. She had to do something.

"Dance with me..." she said slightly breathless.

Ron's gaze shifted, a surprised look on his face. "What did you say?"

"Let's dance." She took a couple steps to stand in front of him.

"I don't know..." Ron rocked back on his heels, his eyes looking over her shoulder to the crowd.

Hermione turned her head to see what he saw. She understood what he meant then. She turned back to him.

"We can stay right here. No one has to see..." She held out one of her hands.

"You sure? You saw how bad I was when McGonagall was trying to teach us in class."

"Just shut up and dance Ronald..." her voice was light and teasing, but her expression betrayed her nervousness.

Ron stepped forward to meet her. He carefully placed one hand on her waist as the other took her outstretched hand. Hermione lifted her free hand to rest on his shoulder. She held in a giggle as she saw Ron counting soundlessly to start them on the right beat. The first few steps were awkward, leaving Hermione glad she didn't wear open toed shoes. Eventually, they found themselves dancing with a bit more grace.

Hermione shifted her gaze from just over Ron's shoulder to his face. All she could see was the top of his head. He was completely focused on staring at their feet.

"Ron...you can stop looking at your shoes."

"I'm not."

"You're looking that direction."

"I'm looking at your shoes. I don't want to step on your feet again."

"If anyone is going to step on my feet, I want it to be you."

Ron raised his head enough to look at her. She was smiling and again he felt surprised it had anything to do with him. He held her gaze for another verse of the song.

"See...I told you...you're doing fine." Hermione's hand moved from his shoulder to wrap around the back of his neck, effectively bringing her closer to him. She felt him inhale sharply, but she stayed where she was. The fingers of her other hand intertwined with his. It was her turn to go woozy when Ron slipped his hand from her waist to the small of her back.

Ron saw her eyelids flutter as his hand changed position. He pressed on her back, drawing her in closer till there was no space between them. He could hear his heartbeat pounding away in his ear. Every breath Hermione took reverberated throughout his chest. His own eyelids felt heavy as he lowered his face towards her.

Hermione rose slightly on her toes, holding Ron's gaze till the moment his lips were on hers. His mouth was surprisingly soft. He kissed her sparingly at first, his lips light and tentative. Hermione thought about how many times she had looked at those lips and wondered what they would feel like, what they would taste like. Ron pulled away just enough to check her reaction. Her eyes opened lazily, her mouth brushing his as she gave him another shy smile. She brought him to her, applying gentle pressure on the back of his neck.

Hermione kissed him more firmly. Her squeak of surprise was swallowed up in his mouth as he let go of her hand to encircle her with both his arms. She almost lost her balance as he opened her mouth just a bit wider, deepening the kiss. He felt her tip and tightened his hold on her. The kiss finally ended with each one gasping for air. Hermione rested both her hands on his chest, her fingers just under the lapels of his jacket. She felt relieved to see the look on Ron's face. He appeared to be happy and just a bit dazed. Hermione figured she looked about the same. She leaned in to lay her head on his chest, her arms sliding down to go around his waist. Hugging him, she resumed swaying to the beat of a new song. He moved with her, barely aware of the music.

They continued to sway long after the song ended. Charlie had noticed them and came over to see what was up. Hermione heard his footsteps and let go of Ron, not sure if he was ready to endure his brother's teasing. Ron gave Hermione a worried glance until he spotted Charlie upon them. Ron and Hermione turned to face him, each one tensing.

"Everything alright here?" Charlie asked, a knowing look on his face.

Ron looked to Hermione. Her eyes were wide. She was waiting for him to answer the question. Ron straighten himself and smiled. Reaching out, he gently took her hand in his.

"Everything is great." he said.

XXXXXX

Well, that's it. I hope everyone enjoyed it. Thanks for the reviews. I'm a little short on inspiration right now, so if you have a suggestion for a story feel free to message me or toss it in with a review. Perhaps I can come up with something good through outside ideas. Thanks again.


End file.
